Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020 video game)

Microsoft Flight Simulator (colloquially known as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020)[lower-alpha 1] is an amateur flight simulator developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is an entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, which began in 1982, and preceded by Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006. The game is a comeback of the series after a 14-year absence, with developments beginning six years prior to release. It was released on August 18, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released on December the same year, making it the first in the series to get a VR release. It is the first game in the series to also get a console release, expected for the Xbox Series X and Series S in mid 2021 and for the Xbox One sometime in the future.

"Microsoft Flight Simulator (video game)" and "FS2020" redirect here. For the 1986 edition, see Microsoft Flight Simulator (1986 video game). For the Swedish project, see Flygsystem 2020.

Microsoft Flight Simulator
Cover art, featuring a Zlin Savage Cub Classic, Airbus A320neo, and Cessna Citation CJ4
Developer(s)Asobo Studio
Publisher(s)Xbox Game Studios
Director(s)David Dedeine[1]
Designer(s)Damien Cuzacq[2]
Programmer(s)Alain Guyet
Artist(s)Patrice Bourroncle
Composer(s)Finishing Move Inc.[3]
SeriesMicrosoft Flight Simulator
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
OpenXR
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • August 18, 2020
  • OpenXR
  • December 22, 2020
  • Xbox Series X/S
  • Q2/Q3 2021
  • Xbox One
  • TBA
Genre(s)Amateur flight simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Flight Simulator simulates the entire Earth using textures and data from Bing Maps, whilst three-dimensional representations of Earth's features are generated by Microsoft Azure's artificial intelligence (AI). It uses the Azure cloud to render visuals, enhance visual fidelity, and simulate real-world data and effects, as well as calculate physics. Some places are also handcrafted, introduced in region-specific updates. To exalt realism, the Azure AI incorporates earthly elements like flora, fauna, and traffic to the game map. These rudiments have prompted players to visit various destinations, such as own homes and hurricanes, expecting an austere grandeur of scenery.

Flight Simulator was released to critical acclaim, with praise for its graphical fidelity, cited by critics as the "safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, criticism also arose for its loading times and some inaccurate rendering of landmarks.

Gameplay
A Lufthansa A320neo is cleared for takeoff at Budapest's runway 31L. The "Assistance" waypoints, in blue, are seen guiding the player, and the new subtitles feature is seen below. Above, an arrow can be seen; this signifies the center, which is vital to implement a perfect take-off and landing. The cockpit ambiance dominates this screenshot.

As an amateur flight simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator has a tutorial segment divided into sequences that allow players new to flight simulation to learn basic controls, flight instruments, and other basics deemed essential to know before flying, which ends with a takeoff and landing test.[4] Throughout, players are assisted by fictional pilot Captain Jess Molina[5][lower-alpha 2] It also offers landing challenges to some of the most famous and dangerous airports. The player is graded based on how centered they are on the runway, how close they are to the touchdown zone of the runway when they touchdown, and the feet-per-minute at touchdown.[4] Another gameplay mode features three sight-seeing bush trips set in Nevada, Patagonia, and the Balkans.[7]

Flight Simulator has an artificial intelligence (AI) air traffic controller, and a virtual co-pilot which can assist players when they are unable to do things like requesting landing clearance or doing checklists. It also has several helper features: "Assistance" enables waypoint arrows at the taxiways, guiding players on where to go; "Route & Waypoints" enables markers to guide players in the sky; "Landing Path" guides players on landing; "Travel To" time-lapses the flight, condensing long-haul flights; and "Active Pause" pauses the flight, allowing players to explore the surrounding area.[8] These features are not available during challenges.[4] Flight Simulator also allows players to search for faunas in the game, either by searching the word on the World Map, or selecting "Fauna Markers" when in mid-air.[8] An "Autorudder" feature keeps the plane in the centerline of taxiways and runways when the player is unable to control it. In addition, there is a feature of entering a geographic coordinate to find a location.[7] The gameplay screen features a toolbar of buttons, where players can talk with the air traffic controller, switch camera views, modify checklists, view the navigation log, see objectives, view the visual flight rules (VFR) map, etc. At the screen, there is the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) compass, as well as the altimeter, throttle, engine, fuel, flaps, and trim tabs. Additional features like the head-up display (HUD) are accessible from the settings.[7]

Unlike its antecedents, Flight Simulator features no animations or depictions of mayhem when an aircraft crashes. Instead, it cuts to black and gives a one-line message as to why the plane crashed. Although damaging the plane without crashing it can degrade the aircraft's quality in ensuing activities, the damage cannot be seen.[9]

Features

The Standard edition of Flight Simulator includes more than 20 flyable aircraft, with the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe edition also having 5 and 10 additional airplanes, respectively. Most of the aircraft are of American, French, or German origin, with a few coming from Austrian, Czech, and Slovenian companies. Aircraft starting from the Deluxe version include those manufactured by Diamond Aircraft, Cirrus Aircraft, and Textron Aviation Inc., while aircraft exclusively for the Premium Deluxe version include the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and the Cessna Citation Longitude, as well as several general aviation aircraft.[10]

Flight Simulator includes around 37,000 manually edited airports from around the world based on real-world satellite images,[11] with the Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe edition also including 30, 35, or 40, respectively, hand-crafted replicas of their real-world counterparts. Airports included starting from the Deluxe edition include those from the United States, Europe, and Africa, while those exclusively for the Premium Deluxe version include the Heathrow and Dubai Airport, as well as those from the US and Europe.[10]

Third-party aircraft and airports are also supported within the simulator. The Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network and International Virtual Aviation Organization are online flight-simulation networks confirmed to be supported within Flight Simulator.[12][13] Many of the third-party aircraft are repaints or exclusive liveries.[14] In addition, there are weather add-ons designed by Weather Preset Pro. The game's team has stated that they "welcome [all third party developers] onboard," and that they are "critically important."[15] To simplify things, Asobo has created an in-game marketplace tab featuring a variety of third-party content.[16]

Technology
Microsoft Flight Simulator leverages Microsoft Azure data, and simulates the Earth using textures and data from Bing Maps. In this gameplay screenshot, a Cirrus SR22 is flying along Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.

Microsoft Flight Simulator uses its own in-house engine while leveraging Microsoft Azure to provide over two petabytes of world map data taken from the cloud on demand.[17] Microsoft partnered up with Blackshark.ai[18] who developed a solution that uses the Microsoft Azure cloud and AI that analyzes map data and photogrammetry to generate photorealistic 3D models of buildings, trees, terrain, and so on. This allows the simulator to depict most parts of the world in 3D photorealism, and other parts in high definition.[19] The game's engine utilizes satellite imagery or fly-by image scans as the basis for height and terrain texture data. An offline procedural generation AI then reads these textures and properly populates terrain with materials, roads, buildings, bushes, trees and more based on brush set assets the developers have made. Afterwards, graphic artists can further go in and embellish specific locations with even more detail with photogrammetrically captured materials and textures. Flight Simulator features multiple terabytes of texture and height map data. Using a base mesh and textures, the game uses the Internet connection to stream even higher quality terrain data onto the PC or console through the Azure cloud as the player plays, boosting the game's fidelity and graphical diversity.[20] In rare cases where certain areas are blurred or pixelated on Bing Maps, where the map is derived from, it "uses procedural techniques to fill in the blanks and make sure there is something in the space."[21]

Developer Asobo Studio scanned interiors and exteriors of aircraft with a 3D scanner in order to create realistic looks of them, polished with modeling and printing.[22] There are also realistic physics and weather systems, and utilization of real-world weather data. An example used was that if it was raining somewhere in real life, it would be raining in-game. Individual clouds will have their own behaviors and they will impact aircraft performance depending on its location within the system.[23] Flight Simulator features a 600-kilometre (370 mi) draw distance and allows the player to see storms hundreds of miles away, with lightning cracking inside of clouds.[24] Flight Simulator is also the first flight simulator to enable worldwide VFR, a feature also never seen in contemporary flight simulators used by airlines to train and test pilots.[25]

Through cloud-based technology, Flight Simulator sends data to the computer or console in real time, with AI being utilized to extrapolate geometry from a blend of satellite and flyover imagery.[26] Other sources of data include terrain data for landscaping, data for foliage density, real-time meteorological data,[25] and air traffic updates.[27] A separate atmospheric renderer simulates accurate humidity and pollution.[28] Skyscrapers cast shadows over each other that darken as the player reaches street level and cities will disperse light at night that radiates the sky.[29] Cloud technology is also used to calculate things such as the way air flows around natural structures such as mountains to cause pockets of turbulence, or stream in air traffic, time of day and weather from the real world.[30]

Volumetric lighting is utilized for various effects, including illuminating water droplets, some of which will occupy the entirety of the cockpit window, and with everything being simulated in real time.[31] Light sources such as the Sun, Moon, or city lights scatter through the environment appropriately, pollution levels and humidity affect refraction and overall visibility, and the atmosphere is layered the same as it is in the real world. Clouds are volumetrically modelled, with 32 layers determining shape, density, and “fuzziness."[32] Flight Simulator's reflection system also at times utilizes ray marching by retranslating voxels. Otherwise, the reflection system uses a mix of screen-space reflections and cube maps to show reflections on more distant bodies of water.[33] In addition to a complex lighting system, Flight Simulator makes use of highly detailed shaders.[34] The game also makes extensive use of screen-space reflections (optional feature by players)[35] and bokeh depth of field.[36]

Flight Simulator populates the world with animals and roads with vehicles, grasses have individual blades, and flows water realistically based on wind direction, creating the illusion of a living world.[37] The game world includes over 2 million cities and towns,[38] 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, and 37,000 real-world airports.[39] This approach also allows Microsoft to flag artifacts and visual anomalies from a birds-eye view, clearing up the input for a world-building algorithm. The result is fed into Microsoft's artificial intelligence, stringing the environment together in the cloud, and is streamed to the computer (PC) or console in real time.[40] Flight Simulator features various animal species that can even be viewed at ground level, including birds, elephants, giraffes and bears.[41] It also allows the player to scout, "chase" and interact with real-world storms as they occur in real time.[42]

Development
Using data of Microsoft’s home city of Seattle, which Bing Maps has rendered down to five-centimeter resolution [...], Asobo took a few weeks to put together a demo of a Cessna flying downtown. Neumann then showed it to Phil Spencer [...]. "He just looked at me and said, 'Why are you showing me a video of [...] a plane?'" Neumann says. "And then the plane turned, and we flew over the Microsoft campus where we were [... right now]. And he’s like, 'Is this real time? Is this running?' And I'm like, 'Yes, it is!' And we knew then we had something special."

– Jörg Neumann on presenting an early build of Flight Simulator to Xbox head Phil Spencer[43]

Microsoft Flight Simulator was developed by the French Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios.[44] The game was announced at E3 2019 on June 9, 2019.[45] It is the first major entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series since 2006's Flight Simulator X (FSX), following a long period of uncertainty over the future of the series after the closure of Aces Game Studio in 2009.[44]

The franchise's return after a 14-year absence is partially credited to the business model of Xbox Game Pass allowing for a wider variety and diversity of games.[46] Xbox chief Phil Spencer had also stated that Flight Simulator is part of Microsoft's renewed commitment to PC gaming. According to Spencer, their head of global partnerships Sarah Bond worked on the Game Pass "with the indie montage" and all the games set to launch on Game Pass, then announced it for PC, as well as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. "I didn't know if the PC community was going to be watching or not, but we went Flight Sim, we went Age, we went Wasteland—I wanted people to know that we want to make sure we're building games and supporting games that respect what the PC community loves", he elaborated. On bringing back Flight Simulator, he stated: "We do have some pilots on the teams that are big fans of flight, and flight sims, and flying themselves, who are passionate about it, so we said, 'okay, let's see what we can do'." Reflecting on the legacy of the series to the aviation community, Spencer thought, "Can we do something new with Flight Sim? Can we actually move it forward in an interesting way?"[47]

Neumann also credited flight instructors in desperate amid the pilot crisis—an era wherein the number of pilots are decreasing—as inspiration for the game, stating that the franchise is important on the future of aviation.[48] Via CNN, he stated: "When you meet pilots a lot of them that say 'you know what? -- my interest in this whole thing started with Microsoft Flight Sim many years ago'. Some people choose that as a career, and we do hope to inspire this new generation. Ever since we showed our trailer we've been called by almost every airplane manufacturer and they all tell us there's a pilot crisis, but for us it's about priority-setting. We're excited about making a sim, and if we can help with the pilot crisis in some shape or form -- we'll try when the time is right."[49]

Six years before release, the foundations for Flight Simulator began through work with Asobo on a product called HoloTour for Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset. A challenge that later inspired the Flight Simulator project was to build a digital version of Machu Picchu's vast mountainside and vistas versus normal buildings at street level. This challenge spurred Microsoft executive and project leader Jörg Neumann to consult with the Bing Maps team to use their detailed photogrammetry data, which included the actual ruins of Machu Picchu, to create a HoloLens replica of it. Neumann later utilized Bing Maps photogrammetry data to have Asobo build a flight demo for the city of Seattle.[43] The technology was also incorporated from Microsoft's discontinued Photosynth project, which generates 3D models from 2D photos.[50] Regarding the aircraft 3D scanning technology, Asobo recalled that, although scanning saves more time and simplifies the work, scanning an aircraft can take a full day, depending on the size. The cockpit barely takes an hour.[22] Neumann also met with Meteoblue, a Swiss company, to incorporate realistic, real-time, and worldwide weather data into the product.[51] To port realistic weather, the Earth is divided into 250 million boxes, whereupon meteorological and climatological data are embedded in it. Further layers of data are placed higher up the skies until the stratosphere. Using data of the forces on weathers of each places, Meteoblue's system created a set of mathematical equations incorporated to the game, which will forecast forthcoming weather conditions.[52]

A team of audio directors, designers, and recordists were in charge of the audio incorporated to Flight Simulator. The team worked with a pilot, who provided the aircraft. The team had a tight schedule of only 2 and a half hours per day, and they managed to record three planes per day. 30 aircraft types and five turbofans were used, with Sennheiser and Audix microphones used to record the audio. A Shure VP88 was also used to record propeller sounds. To record cockpit sounds, a small portable rig was used to be able to record in quadraphonic and ambisonic at the same time. Biome systems were used to create soundscapes for different environments and time on Earth. All of these recordings were recorded using Audiokinetic Wwise.[53]

Sometime after its unveiling in E3 2019, Microsoft organized a temporary Insider Program, where members could get access to the alpha and beta version of the game, and can provide feedback, suggestions, and criticisms to the developers right away.[54] Those willing to volunteer in the program underwent a selection session; if they are selected, they had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), agreeing that they would not share their gameplay or thoughts on the game in its under-maintenance version. One volunteer broke this rule and shared footages to YouTube; they were later copyright-stricken by Microsoft. The person lost the testing privileges.[55] In November 2019, FSX has a beta "branch" which gained telemetry data that would help the development of Flight Simulator. It was available for free for all FSX and FSX Steam Version players.[56]

Updates

As 2020 neared Christmas, Microsoft unveiled real-time snow and winter environments to wintered places.[57] The game is also constantly updated, named "World Update". World Update 1, released on September 29, 2020 after Tokyo Game Show 2020 Online, centers upon Japan. It features photogrammetry for Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya, and Yokohama, as well as handcrafting Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima Airport. It also adds landing challenges set in Japan.[58] During the 2020 Thanksgiving, 50 structures in the United States were handcrafted, including the Las Vegas Strip, which lights up at night.[59] The next world update, focusing on the United Kingdom, was initially planned to be launched on January 26, however Asobo announced a delay, ensuring that it will be fixed soon.[60]

Microsoft received a set of feedbacks from fans, such as requests for helicopters, structure updates, inaccurate details fix, and need for improved systems. Some of the fixes have been planned, under investigation, or started. Helicopters are said to be introduced in 2022,[61] as well as gliders and sailplanes in 2021 or 2022.[62] The Flight Simulator team constantly receives feedback from players; the team has stated that the game is constantly updated upon receiving one.[25]

Release

On July 13, 2020, Microsoft opened up preorders, and on August 18, 2020, Flight Simulator became available for PC.[63] The company, who said that the game is the largest release throughout its history,[64] announced three different versions of the title — Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe, each providing an incremental set of airplanes to choose and additional airports with more detailed visuals.[65] While still having no specific dates, Xbox announced it will be released for Series X and Series S in mid 2021.[66] A Microsoft spokesperson stated that plans of release on Xbox One will be talked about c. 2021.[67] In addition to digital licenses from Microsoft Store and Steam, the game is also available on the PC version of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.[10]

The game is available for purchase worldwide, except for China, although some Chinese aspiring players are finding ways to fake regions via Steam. Microsoft did not respond regarding the unavailability in the country. It is presumed that due to the high quality of the game, the Chinese government fear people flying through governmental areas.[68]

Retail version
Aerosoft's physical release of the Standard edition came on ten DVDs

Aerosoft, a German developer and publisher of simulation software, announced in July 2020 that they have a partnership with Microsoft to release a physical version in Europe. Released corresponding the PC release, the physical version is more friendly for those with slower Internet connection. It is available in two editions, Standard and Premium Deluxe, and comes with 10 dual-layer DVDs, a printed manual, and a keyboard reference chart.[69] The DVDs contain the actual game, the world and aircraft, an optional online content, and optional third-party files, each able to store a maximum of 8.7 gigabytes (GB).[70]

The discs contain around 90 GB of data that consists of the installer and basic content, including aircraft and the standard-definition default world. However, the actual simulator software and patches are downloaded during installation; therefore, the game is not playable out of the box. An active internet connection is also needed for the simulator to update itself when needed. As with digital versions, after installation the game does not require an active internet connection and can be played offline; additionally, more details for the world, better ground imagery, as well as real-world weather and air traffic data can optionally be streamed from Microsoft's servers.[70]

VR version

Neumann stated that a virtual reality (VR) version of Flight Simulator was the "very first feedback" they received after the unveiling at E3 2019,[71] however aspirations of creating a VR version in the game series has been in his mind as far as 2016. They only started developing it in June 2019.[48] In July at a developer livestream on Twitch, they announced a VR version of Flight Simulator.[61] It was later released on December 22, 2020, designated as a free update.[72] While it was previously announced to only be supported on Microsoft Mixed Reality devices, Asobo announced that it is supported on all OpenXR[61] and SteamVR devices[73] The first device that will be supporting the game is Hewlett-Packard's Reverb G2; it was the headset's launch title. Support for other devices will be launched after the Reverb launches.[71]

In the VR version, two new tutorials were released, including one using the Airbus A320neo.[61] Corresponding with the VR update, "real-time snow and true-to-life ice coverage to the entire planet" was introduced by Microsoft."[72] Microsoft announced "new performance optimizations" which reduces the complications of the "hefty" required specifications: an i5-8400/Ryzen 5 1500X, GTX 970, and 16 gigabytes of RAM.[73]

Reception

Aggregation and sales

Microsoft Flight Simulator received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic, with an overall score of 91 out of 100, based on 66 reviews.[63] Based on metadata taken from the site, the game is rated the third-best PC game of 2020, behind Half-Life: Alyx and Hades,[86] as well as the tenth most discussed game.[63] On OpenCritic, another aggregator, it was rated "Mighty" based on 86 critics, along with the summary: "Microsoft Flight Simulator is a technical marvel, with an insane amount of polish, incredible realism, and phenomenal controls."[87]

Within the first few weeks of release, there had been over 1 million users playing the game.[64] Market intelligence firm Jon Peddie Research claimed in August 2020 that simulator enthusiasts are among the most active gamers online, projecting that Flight Simulator fans would spend $2.6 billion over the next three years for the game. Peddie also predicted that there would be more than 2.27 million copies sold, and that Intel, Nvidia, and Advanced Micro Devices may benefit from this, as the game is shown to still have operational shortcomings, which may increase the demand of more advanced central processing units (CPU).[88]

Critical and audience response

Reviewers considered the graphics and realism of Flight Simulator as the reason of why it stands out,[75][81] with 80 LEVEL and Common Sense Media (CSM) describing its authenticity as unprecedented.[28][83] Despite some technical issues, Engadget's Devindra Hardawar also found the VR version of the game realistic, to the extent that the game's visuals resonated with him.[48] The game is remarked a revolution to the series by Shacknews and VG247, as it is the first entry to see wide usage by those outside the aviation community.[79][82] Chad Sapieha of CSM sealed it a Common Sense selection for families, a seal for "outstanding media [with] quality and impact."[89] Critics writing for Le Monde and TechCrunch labeled Flight Simulator the best-looking video game of all time[90] and the best-looking flight simulator, respectively— albeit being very much a work in progress.[27]

As "the most magical thing I've ever seen on a computer screen" by the site's Charlie Hall,[91] Polygon ranks it the third Game of the Year.[92] Eurogamer praised the game for creating "one of those rare wow moments that come along once a generation, or that maybe herald the next",[29] and medaled it a Eurogamer Essential.[93] Paste listed Flight Simulator in their top 10 best games of 2020, behind Spelunky 2 and beating Final Fantasy VII Remake,[94] whilst USGamer medaled it as August 2020's Game of the Month.[95]

The mainstream media also viewed Flight SImulator in a positive light. According to Paul Sillers, writing for CNN, Flight Simulator might be "the safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to global economic conditions in the wake of COVID-19, is being used by furloughed pilots to keep their skills fresh.[96] As a comprehensive simulator that steadily guides players to aviation from square zero, combined with kitchen-sink graphics, The Guardian concluded that Flight Simulator "captures the wonder of flight, and the spiritual and emotional rush of seeing the world in a different way."[80] Writing for The New York Times, Farhad Manjoo stated that the game "is more than a technical achievement or a marketing demo"; that the experience it offers is akin to an online life. "The game plunged me into sustained meditations on the permeability between the real [and online world]—[offering] me some hope of a more realistic kind of online life in the future", he elaborated.[97]

Game developer Rami Ismail conducted a casual test of the accuracy of the game performing an in-game real-time flight from Montreal to Amsterdam while simultaneously travelling commercially on that same route, and found the game's flight to be accurate within minutes of the real flight. To conclude, he called the game "absolutely staggering" and "wild."[98] Investigative journalist Giancarlo Fiorella used the game to detour around El Helicoide, currently a place for detaining political prisoners and SEBIN offices, the northeastern area of Damascus, sites of the Battle of Aleppo, as well as the Uyghur camps in Xinjiang. He concluded that the game is not a viable tool for geolocation and investigative works, but said that if it improves to absolute realism, it "might actually help us with geolocation when we’re trying to figure out where a video or picture was taken."[21]

A Diamond DA62 approaches a glitched airfield in Lagoa Nova, in form of a deep abyss, with the airfield at the bottom of it.[99] Neumann acknowledged the discovery, and thought that "it was cool."[25]

Initial criticism focuses on the loading times. On Steam, many users were frustrated with the long in-game installation forcing them to exceed two hours of gameplay and lose the right to a refund, resulting in a review bomb, several users demanding refunds, and the game's rating dropping. However, the vice president of Steam's owner Valve, Doug Lombardi, has addressed this issue.[100] The download times have been either slow or stuck. Windows Central said that such bugs are expected: "Just remember, it's launch day."[101] There are also reports that features exclusive to the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe version are unable to be loaded.[102] On this blemish, PCGamesN compared it to that of a delayed flight: although it may irritate passengers at first, the result will do otherwise.[78]

Some also reported inaccuracies in rendering buildings such as the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. and Buckingham Palace in London, in which its monuments have been misrendered as a skyscraper and an office block respectively. Due to a topographical error in the height of a Melbourne suburban building in OpenStreetMap, data which had been used by Bing Maps and thence used by Asobo, the flight simulator initially rendered a two-storey building as 212 storeys—inserting an improbably thin and tall skyscraper into the suburb.[103] Some also discovered that the system is unable to render palm trees, making them into obelisks "jutting forth from the pavement like so many teeth." The TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida has also been misrendered as an office building with grass roofs. Many users on the Flight Simulator support forums also report instability and game crashes without due cause. Despite this, Tom Warren of The Verge said that "the glitches are more amusing than they are game breaking."[104] Engadget's Jessica Conditt opined that such bugs represent what the amateur flight simulation genre is all about: creating a planet sandbox that players can do whatever with.[25]

Further negative were also voiced by pilots, expressing disappointment to the game's unrealistic aerodynamics, as well as the aircraft's "sluggish" response. Although the game was "fun", the anticipation of the game is marked overhyped.[105] At Gizmodo, a pilot ranted the overly sensitive control surfaces on slow airspeeds, which could be fixed "if the physics model accounted more for reduced airflow over [it]."[106]

Several destinations have been highly visited by players. In August 2020, many players went to the Little Saint James island in the US Virgin Islands, where child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reportedly molested underaged girls at. YouTubers and Redditors shared their experiences and shared the coordinates of the island. The Independent opines that the case's subject to conspiracy theories are a main drive of interest. It was quickly noted that the game failed to render the island in a detailed fashion;[107] Vice analyzed that the game does not include the iconic dome featured in the island. It thinks that the activity "is just another way for people to satisfy their fascination with one of the most horrible stories in recent memory, and not that different than sending drones to film the island and chartering private boats to explore its buildings."[108]

During the 2020 West Coast fires. several players went to the impacted areas, and found out the smokes from the fires can be seen through the game. Although the details are not too accurate, it "does help to contextualize just how big the fires are, and how much of the state is impacted by them."[109] As Hurricane Laura was approaching Texas and Louisiana, players flew inside the Category 4 hurricane.[51] The Washington Post noted its inaccuracy in wind speeds, and that the hurricane did not swirl.[110] Mathias Müller, head of Meteoblue said: "Yesterday’s hurricane was very beautiful to look at and was accurately predicted by our models even days ahead. We are very happy that real-time weather is now part of Flight Simulator. It was a long journey as integrating these massive amounts of data required the solution of many problems." He stated that Laura inspired them to improve Flight Simulator's weather quality.[51]

Many players have also travelled to their own homes via the game. Asobo revealed that, in a survey, 70% of players had immediately flown to their homes or hometown.[111]

Notes
  1. Also referred to as Flight Simulator 2020, Microsoft Flight Sim 2020, and Flight Sim 2020. Abbreviations include MSFS, MFS 2020, FS2020, and FS.
  2. Voiced by Marie Westbrook.[6]

References
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